A game of two halves

After five decades youngsters look forward to having a level playing field

Football matches at a Tilehurst primary school have been downhill all the way since the school was built in the 60s.

Budding Beckhams have been forced to play on a pitch with a five-metre drop – so steep they can only see half the opposite goal over the brow of the hill at Ranikhet Primary School in Spey Road.

But now, nearly half a century later the school will finally be able to kick off on a level playing field – and pupils can earn recognition for their footie skills.

At present the school isn’t involved in any school leagues – but they do have inter-school matches and insist they have the advantage because they are used to the incline.

Now Reading Borough Council’s cabinet has decided to ‘lean’ on the Department for Children, Schools and Families to seek permission to dispose of the 0.66 of a hectare of sloping playing field, so a level, junior sized, synthetic, all-weather pitch can be installed during the summer holidays next year.

Headteacher Sue N’Jai said the plans to flatten ‘Mount Ranikhet’ was “essential”.

After the meeting on Monday night, she said: “We do have the home advantage because we are so fit from running up and down the hill. When I say we, I don’t mean me, I mean the players.

“We had an adult five-a-side match recently and I got an email from one of the teams saying how disconcerting it was for the goalkeeper not to be able to see the other goalmouth.

“When they play, children from other schools always say ‘what a big hill’.

“We hold an inter-school sports day here and they are not surprised that all the sprints are run downhill.

“We have quite a long run-off at the end because the children pick up so much speed.”

The project will also include a multi-use games court, a new natural habitat area and improvements to the security of the school boundary.

The redevelopment is part of the Dee Park Regeneration project which has been long awaited after years of consultation with the community.

The land would be used in the first phase of the development of new houses on the estate.

Norma Sinclair, who chairs the Dee Park Community Regeneration Action Group, said at the meeting: “I beg everybody to support this.”

And Cllr Graeme Hoskin described the hummock as a “terrible play area” but added: “The considerable home advantage to the local football team who are used to it may be lost.”

Sport England commented in a report to the cabinet the improvement in the quality of the playing field would outweigh any loss of area.

Caversham girls’ school Queen Anne’s in Henley Road used to have a similar benefit in its lacrosse games.

Before the playing field area was sold off for development, the girls had a home advantage thanks to their familiarity with their steeply sloping pitch.